Her reign saw the rise of Shakespeare’s theater, but what did she have to say herself? Dissecting the persona of Elizabeth I through Joycean deconstructions of her letters, speeches, poems, and prayers, texts&beheadings/ElizabethR is Elizabethan drama in its most literal sense. Visionary Karin Coonrod and her international theater collective Compagnia de’ Colombari, working with designer John Conklin, cast four diverse young actresses as the different faces of the Virgin Queen. In a breathless game of hide-and-seek with history, mystery, and the theater form, this brand new work captures the rhetorical panache and ever-shifting essence of an icon.

Created and directed by Karin CoonrodDramaturgy and scenic design by John ConklinMusic by Gina LeishmanCostume design by Oana BotezLighting design by Peter Ksander